In the automotive industry compressors are commonly used to provide additional air mass flow to support combustion in combustion engines. The net effect of such compressors is to increase the power output of the engine for at least a range of engine rpm. The efficiency of such compressors is dependent on numerous factors including pressure ratio, volumetric efficiency and delta temperature.
The most common types of compressor are the turbocharger and the supercharger. A turbocharger usually comprises a fan driven by exhaust gases of the engine and coupled via a shaft to a rotor in the form of a turbine which forces air into an intake manifold of the engine. A supercharger differs from a turbocharger in that it is mechanically driven by the engine and usually comprises two intermeshing rotors or screws which transport air from an intake to an outlet port from where the air is subsequently delivered to an intake manifold.